


Happy Ending?

by Step_of_Faith



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Dating Sim AU, Happy Birthday Ritsu!, Happy Ending, It even made the writer cry, M/M, Some angst, maoritsu, ritsumao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 08:54:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20721527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Step_of_Faith/pseuds/Step_of_Faith
Summary: "Hey? Would you like your happy ending with me?"





	Happy Ending?

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Ritsu!!

"Hey? Would you like your happy ending with me?" Red eyes stared through the computer screen.

Green eyes stared right back, while red-colored bangs hung loosely over the front of her face. "I...I'm sorry Ritsu!! But I passed the volleyball tryouts, and I'll be practicing more. So, I won't be able to play as often anymore." The girl put her hands together in a praying position. Clicking on the save button, she turns off the game.

~~~

Darkness surrounded him. He couldn't recall the last time he had seen the bright light coming from the outside world. Walking around with no direction, Ritsu started to worry. Surely Minako-chan hadn't forgotten about him, has she?

Standing in one spot, he closed his eyes. He spoke, "I wish I could see the real world, the outside world." Opening his eyes, he reached a hand out into the void. "I'm worried about Minako-chan."

"Is that what you truly DESIRE?" A voice came out of nowhere.

Ritsu looked around, unsettled. "Who are you?"

A chuckle came from afar. "If that is what you truly WANT. I'll gladly grant your WISH!" A sound that mimicked that of snapping fingers resonated throughout the darkness.

Then suddenly, by some weird phenomenon, a bright light engulfed Ritsu. The sudden brightness caused him to put an arm in front of his face, while clenching his eyes close.

The light soon faded away. "Find your happy ENDING." A whisper snuck by his ear. Moving his arm away from his face, he blinked his eyes open slowly. Looking around, he sees a very pink room. He voiced, "Where am I?"

~~~

Mao, Minako's older brother, had a day off from idol training and was resting downstairs. Curled up on the couch while reading one of his many manga books, he heard a strange sound come from upstairs.

Raising an eyebrow, he thought to himself. 'Who in the world is upstairs? Minako has practice today, so obviously she's not home.'

Hearing more load rummaging coming from above, he sought out a large stick that they keep near the door just for times like these. The red-head slowly crept up the stairs, and stuck close to the hallway wall. Inching slowly, he noticed the noises are coming from his sister's room, and he made a disgusted face. 'It had better not be some gross panty thief.' He thought.

Cracking open the door, he studied the inside of the room. Not seeing anyone visibly, he opens the door some more. There he sees him. A raven-haired boy, butt naked, fumbling around his sister's clothing drawers.

Mao, seething with rage, seeing his sister's room being ransacked, pushes the door open all the way and yells out. "Get away from there!"

Ritsu, minding his own business, so he thinks, turns around at the sound of the voice. "Huh?" He questions. But, before he could do anything else, a large stick flew at him and the next thing he knew, he was out cold.

Waking up about an hour or so later, Ritsu finds himself in a bed, fully clothed. Looking around the room, he definitely knows it wasn't the same room he was in earlier. This room seemed more masculine. He then hears the door open, and he turns his head towards it.

Mao looked at the raven-haired boy with a stern look. He crosses his arms and says, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call the police. Who are you, and what were you doing in my sister's room?"

Ritsu creased his eyebrows in confusion. "Your sister? Do you know Minako-chan? She stopped playing my route a while ago, and I'm worried about her."

It was Mao's turn to be confused. "I'm sorry, what?" He sat down on his bed. "I don't quite understand. What do you mean by she was playing your route?"

Ritsu puffed out his cheeks, irritated. 'Can this guy be anymore dense?' He thought. Sighing, he tried to say it again slowly. "Like I said. Minako-chan was playing my route. She stopped before she finished it, so I got worried."

Mao thought that the raven-haired boy's pouty face was actually kinda cute. He faintly blushed. "I still don't quite under-..."

Before Mao could finish his sentence, the front door opened. "I'm home." He heard faintly, and recognized that his sister had just come home from practice. Standing up, he faced Ritsu and said, "You stay here. I'll go ask her what's going on."

Ritsu watched as Mao left through the door. He muttered, "It's not like I have anywhere to go."

~~~

Minako took off her shoes and placed them on the shoe rack near the entryway. Looking up, she sees her brother literally fly down the stairs. "I'm home, Onii-chan. What's up with you?"

"Forget about formalities right now, come with me." Mao grabs ahold of Minako's wrist and hurries her up the stairs.

"Wait, Onii-chan? What's wrong?" Minako had never seen her brother act like this before. They had come to a stop just outside of Mao's bedroom door. Mao turned towards his sister and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Alright, before we go in there, let me just warn you first of all." Mao explained. Minako just folds her arms across her chest with an impatient look on her face. "I'm waiting..."

Mao sighed. "Listen...whatever you see in there...just know...I haven't done anything stupid." Minako rolled her eyes, and with an exasperated sigh, opened the door to her brother's room.

That was probably something that Minako shouldn't have done. On her brother's bed was 'Ritsu' and he was wearing nothing except for her brother's yellow sweater jacket which was falling off his shoulders.

Minako's face flushed deeply as she squealed and shut the door fast. She fumbled with her words before she finally calmed down. "O...Onii-chan...just what did you do..." She started to ask.

Mao flushed himself. "Baka! I haven't done anything besides give him some clothes to wear. I found him in your room, na-naked!" It was his turn to fumble over words. "He, he said that you stopped playing his route, and that he was worried about you. I just don't understand him..." Mao placed his thumb and pointer finger under his chin. "Maybe he was in an accident and lost his memories?"

Minako just listened to her brother mumble on and on. That is until she heard him say the word route. "Hold on, did you say route? That I stopped playing his route?" Minako closed her eyes and thought for a second or two until it finally came to her. "Ahh! No way...there's just no way..."

Opening the door again, she finds herself face to face with Ritsu. Nearly blushing again at his attire, she breathed out a breath of air that she had been holding. "Hey...you, you're Ritsu aren't you? From the game, Happiness for You..."

Ritsu perked up as soon as she mentioned his name. "Minako-chan! I've finally found you." He stood up from the bed to pull her into a tight hug. "I'm so glad that you're alright."

Minako pushed away from Ritsu's tight hold. "Hold on a minute...Just...hold on a minute! First of all, you're a video game character, how in the world are you even here?"

Mao stood to the side just taking it all in. Ritsu's from a game? "Minako, what do you mean, he's from a game?"

Minako turned to look at her brother and nodded. "That's right. He's Sakuma Ritsu, and he's a character from one of my dating sim games that I used to play."

"Used to?" Ritsu repeated. He put his hand on Minako's shoulder and smirked. "Don't you want to continue playing my route? Let's go..." However, before Ritsu could do anything more, Mao grabbed his wrist and pulled him straight into his arms.

"That's enough. Stop trying to hit on my sister, even if it's something you're supposed to do in the game." Mao said sternly. Mao was oblivious to the position he was in. Holding Ritsu's wrist up in one of his hands, and his other arm was pulled over Ritsu's torso, keep the raven-haired boy firmly in place.

Ritsu blushed slightly. He managed to get a good look at Mao and was surprised to see that the red-head's features weren't too bad on the eyes. His emerald-green eyes were the same as his sister's, but his hair was a bit on the darker side. Ritsu, unconsciously, reached up to touch the fringe of Mao's hair.

Mao's eyes widened, but he didn't move away. Ritsu was, at this point, petting Mao's head. "So, this is what hair feels like..." Ritsu muttered. He then looked up at Mao and smiled. "It's soft."

Mao then realized the proximity of the two and separated himself from Ritsu. "If Minako says that you're a video game character, we're going to have to find out how you managed to get here." Mao ushered Ritsu towards the bed. "In the mean time, you'll stay in my room." He then got really close to Ritsu's ear and whispered, "And stay away from Minako."

Having that said right into his ear, Ritsu shivered. He didn't even realize he could do such a thing. Being able to walk, feel, hear, and even see has brought new senses to him. He is a video game character...right?

~~~

-The Next Day-

Ritsu groaned as he tossed and turned in the bed. His arm landed on something soft and warn, and with the bright light from the sun shining into the room, he slowly blinked his eyes open.

Turning his head to shield himself from the brightness, he finds himself looking at Mao. The soft and warm thing that Ritsu had felt earlier had been Mao's stomach. He retracted his arm, but got up to take a closer look at the sleeping red-head.

Ritsu brought his face closer to Mao's. One of the things he has come to notice is that Mao has really nice, long lashes. He also really likes the way that Mao's fringe frames his face. Bringing a hand up, he softly caressed the red-head's cheek.

The red-head in question moaned in his sleep and made a motion of waking up. Ritsu snatched his hand back so fast, you could have sworn he snapped it.

Emerald eyes opened and the first thing he sees is ruby-red eyes staring back at him. Mao yelps and sits up too quickly and nearly headbutts Ritsu. The latter moved back a bit and nervously hid his arm behind him.

"Good...Good Morning." Ritsu says, nonchalantly. Mao looked over at him and slowly nods. "Morning..." Letting out a big yawn, Mao stretched his arms out.

Ritsu blushed seeing Mao's toned stomach peak out of his tank-top. The red-head looked over at Ritsu and raised an eyebrow. "You're staring."

"Wha-! I...I'm not staring!" Ritsu retorted back. He thought to himself, 'Seriously, what the heck is wrong with me?' He then proceeded to go out the door when a hand held him back. Ritsu turned his head a bit and eyed Mao. "What? Am I not allowed to leave your room at all?"

"Not looking like that!" Mao explained. Ritsu was still only wearing the yellow parka and boxers that looked like it had little ramen bowls all over it. The red-eyed boy stared down at himself, then he looked back up at Mao and tilted his head in confusion.

Mao sighed and brought Ritsu back into the room. "At least put on something decent." He threw over a casual loose tee and pair of jeans. However, when he turned around to speak to the other boy, all he saw was the t-shirt in the boy's hands and the jeans hanging off his head.

He couldn't stop himself. The red-head covered his mouth and started laughing. Ritsu groaned and pouted underneath the pair of jeans that were thrown on his head. "Not my fault that you threw them at me too fast for me to catch both of them." He grumbled.

Mao's stomach started to hurt. He hadn't laughed that hard in a long while. As he tried to calm himself down, he took the pants off of Ritsu's head and smiled at him. "Thanks, I think I needed that."

Ritsu turned his head away and blushed slightly. He took the pants back and proceeded to change his attire. "Decent now?" He questioned. Mao gave an affirmative nod, and opened the door. "After you."

~~~

Downstairs, Minako was already up and ready to head out the door. "See you later, off to practice." She called out.

Ritsu perked up at the sound of her voice and made a mad dash down the stairs. In doing so, he ended up slipping on one of the steps and practically slid down the stairs.

Both siblings watched from either side of the stairway and burst out into laughter. Mao, being the kind person that he is, trotted down the stairs to help Ritsu. After Minako had her laughing fit, she calmed down and questioned, "Are you alright?"

Ritsu ignored Mao's hand that was about to help him up and instead stood up himself so that he could make it towards where Minako was. "Where are you going?"

Minako picked up her volleyball and thrusted it into the raven-haired boy's face. "I've got volleyball practice. I'm usually home by mid-afternoon." She turned to head out the door.

Ritsu wasn't having it. Ritsu pulled on Minako's wrist and said straight out, "Go on a date with me." His face was that of a puppy asking his master to go out and play.

Before Mao could stop Ritsu from advancing further, Minako had already done the job. "Listen, Ritsu..." Minako started. She led Ritsu to the living room couch, and gestured for the red-eyed boy to sit down. "This may be a lot to take in, but I want you to understand this." She also sat down.

Getting up the courage to speak, Minako took a deep breath. "You're a really, really hot guy, and that's why I chose your route to start with. I mean, out of all the other characters that I could have chosen, you struck to me the most." Ritsu looked at her, and listened intently. "But the thing is...and don't get me wrong...I'm sure you're a nice guy and all..."

"Just say it already." Ritsu spoke up, irritated. His eyes looked like they were glowing, as he stared at Minako. The latter gulped. "What I mean to say is, I'm honestly not interested in dating simulations anymore. Quite frankly, I should have gotten rid of those games." Minako finally managed to get it out. "So, that's that. Please don't bother me anymore." Looking down at her phone, she noticed the time. "Oh man, I'm going to be late!"

After watching his sister run sporadically out the door, he turned his attention towards Ritsu. The boy never made a move from the spot he was at on the couch. "Hey..."

Mao moved towards the couch to check up on Ritsu. He kind of felt bad for him, just a bit though. As Mao went to go place his hand on the other boy's shoulder, he sprang up. "Whoa!"

Standing up suddenly, Ritsu made a beeline towards the door. After opening it, he closed his eyes momentarily as the bright sun shone directly at him.

Mao put a hand on Ritsu's wrist, "What do you plan on doing?" He had questioned. Ritsu responded like a robot, "I'm going to catch up to her and ask her to reconsider." Mao grunted. "Forget it. She isn't interested anymore, right? Besides, there's someplace that I want to take you."

Ritsu looked towards the floor, dejected. Then he glanced over at Mao and asked, "Are you going to take me out on a date?"

"Whaaa-... How did you come up with that conclusion?" Mao asked, face scrunched up. "Jeez, I'm taking you to see someone I know. He may understand how you came into our world."

Ritsu tilted his head. "So, it's not a date?"  
"No, it's not! Come on, I gave notice that we'd be there soon." Mao, still holding onto Ritsu's wrist pulled him towards the door.

"Hey..."

Mao was busy putting on his shoes, and tossed another pair at Ritsu. "What?" He was starting to get agitated.

"What do I call you? Minako-chan calls you Onii-chan. Shall I call you that too? Onii-chan?" Ritsu asked, genuinely curious.

Mao flushed embarrassingly. It was then he realized he never really introduced himself or anything of that matter. In fact, no introductions were really made at all. Ritsu only knew Minako's name due to the fact that she used her name in the game.

"Mao."

"Mao?" Ritsu repeated. The red-head was already quite flustered. He ushered the taller boy out the door, while mumbling that they were going to be late.

~~~

Knocking on the door to one of his acquaintances, he couldn't help the stress that was already building inside him. Every turn they took, every store they passed by; Ritsu kept stopping, staring into shops, and constantly asked questions.

It felt like an eternity before the heavy doors in front of him opened. A male around the same age as Mao smiled as he greeted. "Ahhh! Good Night, Sari-KUN! I was expecting you."

"Sakasaki." Mao nodded at him. "Good Night?" He heard behind him. Turning towards Ritsu, he pulled him along. "Don't mind what he says, he's a bit of an eccentric."

The person, known as Sakasaki, invited them in to the living area. "I understand you have questions for ME?"

Mao didn't beat around the bush. He pushed Ritsu towards Sakasaki, and asked straight out, "How did he come to our world, and how do we put him back in his world?"

Sakasaki chuckled. "Allow me to first introduce MYSELF, I am Sakasaki Natsume. I am, what you would call, a video game SPECIALIST."

Ritsu nodded his acknowledgement, but cupped his mouth and whispered to Mao. "Why does he talk like that?" Mao shrugged. "No one really knows."

"Now then," Natsume started. "Ritsu, is it? Why don't you explain to me how you got HERE?" The red-white haired boy sat on his recliner.  
Mao gestured for Ritsu to sit on the sofa, opposite of Natsume. "Well, I was...in a dark place. I was waiting, waiting for Minako-chan to return to me. She started my route, but never finished it. I was worried about her." Ritsu started.

He had begun to get rather anxious, and was he even supposed to get anxious? It was at that time, Natsume offered a cup of tea to him. Muttering his gratitude, he stared at the drink. He felt himself calming down, and after taking a breath, he continued.

"I had mentioned that I wanted to see the real world, the outside world. Then I suddenly heard this voice. It asked me if that was what I desired..." Ritsu trailed off. "Ritsu-kun?" He shook his head, "It's nothing..."

Natsume closed his eyes as he held his teacup in his hand. "What I can say is that, that the body you have right now is TEMPORARY." Placing the cup down, he stared straight into Ritsu's eyes. "You should take advantage of this OPPORTUNITY. Have some fun while you CAN."

Natsume walked over to Mao and Ritsu, placed a hand on Mao's shoulder and said, "Should you need any assistance, I'm just a phone call AWAY."

~~~

As Mao and Ritsu leave the Sakasaki Estate, they found themselves wondering the streets. Ritsu kept his head down. Looking at the pavement in front of him, he thought about Natsume's words. He couldn't help shake the feeling that he had heard his voice somewhere before...

"Hey...Hey!!" Awakening Ritsu from his thoughts, he turned towards Mao. Mao was posed with his arms crossed over his chest, and a stern look on his face. "So...what's the plan?"

Ritsu hadn't really thought about it. "What plan...I don't have a reason to be here anymore. Minako-chan plain, outright, rejected me." He mentioned, kicking a rock across the walkway.

Mao had to think. Then an idea came to him. He grabbed Ritsu's wrist and pulled him along. "I've thought of something. Let's go and take a tour of the place. You seemed quite interested in all the shops."

Ritsu lets himself be pulled along. Staring at the back of Mao's head, then at the hand that was gripping his wrist. He couldn't help the feeling of warmth attack his heart.

After looking at countless shops, being pulled in and out of tourist attractions, Ritsu felt exhausted. He took this time to sit down on one of the chairs that were outside, underneath the shade of an umbrella. Mao couldn't help, but smile at him. "I'll get us something to drink, you stay here."

As Ritsu waited, he kept seeing couples walk in front of him, exiting shops, and doing couples things. He thought to himself, 'Ahh, that's what Minako-chan and I should be doing right now...' His thoughts were interrupted when a drink was placed in front of him. "Here, I'm not sure what you would like, so I just bought you the same thing that I got." Mao said, already drinking from his. "Actually, can you drink and eat?"

Ritsu actually wasn't sure. He didn't drink the tea earlier either. He grabbed the waiting drink, and took a sip of it. His eyes widened. "Maa~kun! It's sweet!" Being caught off-guard, Mao nearly choked on his drink. "Ma...Maa~kun??"

The twinkle that Ritsu had in his eyes momentarily stopped. "Sorry, should I just call you Mao?" He asked, while twirling the straw in his drink. He didn't want to look up and see Mao's upset face.

The red-head noticed the change in demeaner and sat down next to Ritsu. "It's alright. You can call me that if you want to." Mao went to scratch the back of his head as a habit. "Just that no one's really given me a nickname before...well, except for Subaru that is."

"Subaru?" Ritsu asked. Mao twirled his straw this time. "Ahh, he's a friend of mine. He literally calls just about everyone by a nickname." Ritsu felt slightly jealous. That someone else gave Mao a nickname before he did. Why was he jealous though? "Anyways, we took a look at some shops, and we even got you some clothes, your size, to wear. I think that's progress. Why don't we head home for now?"

Ritsu wasn't really paying attention to what Mao was saying. He was more focused on the fact that he had felt jealous just a bit ago. If he was programmed to fall in love with the player, does this mean that Mao is the player instead?

"Ritsu?" Mao frowned. He was a bit worried that maybe he did something to upset the raven-haired boy. "Ritsu?" He called him again. Honestly, Mao felt that Ritsu hasn't been acting like himself since they left Sakasaki's place. He calls him one more time, but this time he called him differently.

"Ricchan." This got Ritsu out of his daze. "Eh?" He questioned. Mao flicked him on the forehead. "If you get to call me Maa~kun, then I get to call you something too. Ritsu, therefore, Ricchan."

Ritsu was definitely unprepared for this. His face flushed and he swore that he was going to boil over. Did they just hit an advancement flag?

Mao wasn't doing any better himself. Seeing Ritsu flush the way he did, no, it wasn't just that. He saw so many different things happen with the red-eyed boy today. He took a big sip from his drink. "Let's start heading back."

Ritsu heard him this time, and nodded. Also taking a sip from his drink, he couldn't help the emotions that were starting to bubble within him.  
~~~

At home, Minako had already been back and was reading a book on the sofa. "Welcome Home." She casually said, before the two even said their greetings.

"Minako-chan, look!" Ritsu excitedly said, pushing a shopping bag in front of her. "Whoa! What's with the big bag?" She asked, curiously. Ritsu smiled brightly. "Maa~kun bought me clothes to wear!"

Minako shot a look over at her brother. "You, bought him clothes? Are you alright?" She got up from the sofa, walked over to her brother and placed a palm on his forehead. "No fever. But seriously? You wasted money on buying clothes for a video game character?"

Hearing that, Ritsu's smile disappeared. He put the shopping bag down, and backed away from it. "I'm...I'm sorry." He looked over at Mao and gave a small smile. "She's right. I'm just a character from a game, I wouldn't need these. Please return them." Walking past Minako, he headed up the stairs to where Mao's room is.

Mao watched Ritsu disappear from view, and then he turned his attention to his sister. "That was uncalled for, wasn't it?" He was angry. He rarely ever got upset with Minako, but this time, he feels that she has gone too far. "I bought him clothes because the clothes I have isn't a right fit for him."

"It doesn't matter, Onii-chan. He's not real. I'm sure he'll end up going back into his game, and then what? You'll be left with clothes you don't need. Donating it would be such a waste." Minako retorted back. She was rather annoyed with this whole scenario to begin with. "You're doing too much for him. He's just a character that came out of a game because they were worried about me. It's too strange."

"Yeah, he was worried about you. You stopped playing his route, so of course he'd get worried." Mao lashed back. "Saying he's not real...that's too cruel." He grabbed the bag of clothes, and marched up the stairs.

Minako watched as her brother went into his room. She shook her head in despair. "He's just going to end up hurt."

~~~

Opening up the door to Mao's room, Ritsu slowly walked towards the bed. Minako was right. He wasn't a real person. It wouldn't do him any good to have clothes, only for the clothes to just go to waste later. He saw a photo of Mao along with several other boys around his age, and picked it up.

"Strange. I don't feel upset about being rejected by Minako-chan anymore. Yet, why do I feel all these emotions welling up in me? If she says that I'm not real, then...what is it that I'm feeling?"  
Interrupting his thoughts, Mao entered the room with an exasperated sigh. Ritsu put the photo back where it was, and found the floor to be quite interesting.

The red-head shoved the bag in front of Ritsu's face. "Here. They're for you. I bought them for you to use. It's not going to be a waste." Hesitantly, he grabbed the bag from Mao. He hugged it close to his chest, "Thank you, Maa~kun." Smiling, Mao patted Ritsu on the head. "How about we make use of these tomorrow, and go somewhere fun?"

Ritsu looked up at Mao. "Why are you being so nice to me? You hit me on the head, then get upset for trying to hit on your sister, and now you're showering me with lots of attention and affection. I...I don't understand. I'm just a video game character, right? I'm not...real." The raven-haired boy frowned.

Mao flicked Ritsu on the forehead. "Don't say that. I've seen enough to know that you're just as real as me." Mao said, giving off a gentle smile. "But you're right, very odd isn't it? You showed up in my sister's room, naked, I hit you on the head, and now I'm the one making you feel better." Mao played with the carpet with his socked foot.

"Maa~kun..." Ritsu reveled in what Mao said. He blushed faintly and smiled. "You know, I want a picture. Like the one you have with those other guys." The red-eyed boy looked away. "It's okay if you don't want to."

Mao looked at the picture on his shelf, and picked it up. Looking at it, he smiled. "I wouldn't mind taking one with you. It'll be something to definitely remember this moment." He then chuckled. "Strangely enough, I thought you would want a picture with Minako, not me."

Ritsu shook his head. "Why would I take a picture with someone who has rejected me." He mumbled. "I'm supposed to bring her happiness. Yet, I'm not the thing that is giving it to her." Mao sighed, and brought Ritsu close to him. Gasping in surprise, Ritsu could feel the beating of the red-head's heart. "Maa~kun?"

"You're not a thing, Ritsu." Emerald eyes gazed at the whorl on the top of Ritsu's head. "So, stop saying things like that." Ritsu could feel the warmth seeping from the other boy’s chest. It felt good to him, it made him feel...what was the word? Secure? Not really answering or responding to the boy holding him. He slowly closed his eyes. The last thing he heard was the sound of Mao's heartbeat. Did he have one too?

~~~

The next day, Mao and Ritsu had a somewhat late start. Not only did Mao oversleep, which he never does, it took forever to get Ritsu to wake up. They were finally able to start their day after washing up, and eating a somewhat decent breakfast.

The sun was unbearably scorching that day. Both boys took shelter at a nearby arcade that they happened to pass by. Luckily for them, Mao had intended to come here at some point that day, so at least it all worked out.  
"Ara? Is that Mao-chan that I see?" A voice came from behind them. Mao turned around and spotted one of his classmates from the idol academy. "Oh, hey! Narukami."

Ritsu hid behind Mao as the person in question came closer. "Oh? Is someone shy?" Narukami came closer and peered behind the red-head. Ritsu dug his face into Mao's shirt. This made Mao laugh. "It's alright, he's not going hurt you. Ricchan."

Mumbling into Mao's shirt, Ritsu asked, "Is he your friend?" Reaching for one of Ritsu's hands, Mao responded. "Yeah. This is Narukami Arashi, he's a classmate of mine."

Arashi winked. "You can call me Arashi-chan if you wish!" Ritsu poked his head from behind Mao. "Narukami...Naru...Nacchan." Arashi smiled happily. "Mao-chan, who is this adorable person!?"

Mao brought Ritsu to the front. "This is Ritsu. He's a new friend that I met recently." Ritsu nodded his acknowledgement of the introduction. "Are you by yourself today, Narukami?" Mao asked.

Arashi shook his head. "Nope. I'm here with Mika-chan today. He wanted to play some claw machines today, so he invited me to come with him." A voice had then suddenly come up from the side. "That's 'cuz you're mah good luck charm, Naru-chan."

A boy with tousled black hair was at one of those machines. With his tongue sticking out some, he managed to hook a stuffed doll. "Got one! Look, look, Naru-chan!" He grinned. Arashi smiled back at him. "Good job, Mika-chan. How many does that make?" Behind Mika was already a bursting bag. He responded by holding up nine fingers.

"What is that? Maa~kun?" Ritsu asked, clearly interested in that contraption. Mao looked at where Ritsu was looking at. "Ahh, that's one of those claw machines that Narukami mentioned earlier. It's a game where you can try and win a stuffed doll." Ritsu was really intrigued by this machine, that he crept up next to Mika to have a better look.

After peering at the items in the machine, Ritsu's eyes widened and twinkled. He turned around and yelled out, "Maa~kun! Maa~kun!! Come look, what is this creature? It's so adorable." Mao jogged to where Ritsu was and looked into the machine as well. The item that Ritsu was looking at was a big black cat with vampire fangs and bat wings. He looked at Ritsu and then back at the plush. It definitely screamed Ritsu to him.

Mao tapped Mika on the shoulder and asked if he could borrow the machine for a bit. With Mika's approval, the red-head dished out some coins and started working the machine.

Ritsu was trying to peer over Mao's shoulder when someone tapped his own. Turning his head, he sees Arashi calling him over. Heading towards a bench, Arashi patted the area next to him.

"Was there something you wanted?" Ritsu asked, tilting his head. Arashi shook his head. "Oh no, I just wanted some company while they're playing." The blonde examined Ritsu for a bit, and asked, "So, how long have you known Mao-chan?"

Ritsu wasn't sure how to answer that question. Should he just outright say he's a game character? He opted to not say it. "For maybe about a few days." He looked away, was he giving it away?

Arashi just looked on. He put a finger on his chin. "You know, it doesn't matter how long you know someone. Just as long as you want to be with them." He tilted his head towards Ritsu and winked. "Besides...I only knew Mika-chan for about a week before I knew he was the one for me."

The raven-haired boy whipped his head around so fast to look at Arashi. "Even though you're both guys?" Arashi giggled. "Oh sweetie, it doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl, or whatever sex you are. If you love that person, and they love you back, that's all that matters." Ritsu took in the words that Arashi said. He then asked a question that was bothering him since yesterday. "Nacchan, is there a reason why my chest feels funny like bubbling when I'm with Maa~kun?" Looking down at the ground, he continued, "It doesn't happen with anyone else, not even with his sister."

Arashi looked over at Mika and smiled. "That my dear, is what you might call love. When you're near that person, your chest-... no, your heart makes you feel things you may not have felt before. Such as bubbling emotions, warmth, a strange feeling...anything could happen."

Ritsu turned his head to look at Mao who was concentrating on the claw machine, and Mika was rooting him on. He felt his chest tighten. "Do you think...Maa~kun is my happy ending?"

Arashi looked confused at first, but then understood. He placed a hand on Ritsu's shoulder and smiled, "I believe he could be more than just your happy ending." Ritsu genuinely smiled back.

At that moment, Mao yelled out a big, "I DID IT!" He reached down to retrieve the plush and hurried back to Ritsu's side. Smiling, he held the plush out to Ritsu. "Here, for you." Ritsu stared at the plush, the plush that he said looked adorable. He reached out and took the plush, and held it close to him. "Thank You, Maa~kun. I'll cherish it." He smiled, looking at Mao.

Mao blushed. Ritsu was definitely making an impression on him. "Hey, don't forget that there is something we still have to do." Ritsu just stared at him. Mao shook his head. "Don't tell me, you don't want to take a picture anymore?"

Ritsu stood up quick. "Of course, I still do!" He responded and grabbed Mao's wrist to lead him. Only to realize, he didn't know where to go. He blushed and hit Mao in the chest. "Stop embarrassing me." Mao laughed. "You're the one embarrassing yourself."

Mika and Arashi looked on. "Nah, Naru-chan...Do you think he'll have his happy ending?" Arashi gently caressed Mika's cheek. "Of course, he will. I know you definitely got yours."  
"Well, we best be off. Mika-chan and I are going to be watching a movie in about ten minutes, so we need to leave now." The blonde explained.

Mao and Ritsu both turned to look at the other couple. "Movies?" Ritsu asked. Mika answered, "It's a place where ya can see a film on the big screen." Ritsu looked at Mao with puppy dog eyes. Oh yeah, he definitely wanted to see the movie theatre.

"Another day. We have something else to do today, remember?" Mao reminded the red-eyed boy. He grabbed Ritsu's hand, and he waved to both Arashi and Mika.

~~~

Guiding Ritsu through the crowds, they managed to reach the photo booth. "It's not exactly going to be like the one I have on my desk with my friends, but it'll still work." Ritsu wasn't particularly paying attention, as he was prodding his new plush friend. Mao pouted. He flicked Ritsu on the side of the head to gain his attention.

"Ow!" Ritsu closed one eye as he rubbed his temple. "What was that for?" Mao pointed at the photo booth, and Ritsu's eyes sparkled. He grabbed Mao's shirt and dragged him closer. "How does this work?"

Mao smiled gently. He took Ritsu's hand and brought him into the booth. "First off, we need to get in here, and sit down." Placing Ritsu on the bench, Mao turned his attention towards the screen. He fiddled in his wallet for a couple hundred yen and pushed it into the machine.

Ritsu was intrigued at what Mao was doing, but at the same time he couldn't keep his focus on anything but the plush in front of him. He was thinking back to what Arashi had said to him earlier. The more Mao did things for him, the more his chest tightened up. Perhaps he could be a real person after all?

Tapping on his shoulder, Mao pointed to the machine. Ritsu looked at where his finger was pointing to, and on the screen was a reflection of Mao and Ritsu. The raven-haired boy was very surprised, and stood up to try and touch the screen. Upon doing so, he accidentally put a deco on the screen. Afraid that he did something wrong, he looked at Mao with worry.

"Don't worry about that. We can put things on the screen if we want. Is there anything you want on there? We can put text too." Mao explained. Ritsu thought about what he wanted on the picture, and the only things he wanted to be on there, were their names. "Maa~kun and Ricchan. That's what I want on there." He told Mao.

Green eyes stared back at Ritsu. Curious as to why that's all he wanted on there. But he wasn't going to complain, and complied with the request. Taking his seat, he took ahold of Ritsu's hand. "Look towards the front." Mao whispered.

Ritsu had heard what Mao said, but he was too occupied at the fact that Mao was holding his hand. The machine was counting down the seconds to when the picture would be taken, but Ritsu had come to a revelation. He was staring at Mao with genuine love when the first picture was snapped. When the second picture snapped, Ritsu took a hold of Mao's arm and huddled close to him. The third picture was of both of them holding the plush doll in the middle. After the pictures were printed, Mao gave a batch to Ritsu while he kept the other. Unbeknownst to either of them, in one of the pictures, Ritsu's body had started to phase out.

"I had fun today, thank you, Maa~kun." Ritsu said, holding onto Mao's shirt gently this time. Mao peered over at the raven-haired boy and smiled. "I'm glad you did. I promise that I'll take you the movies tomorrow, after my idol training." Ritsu nodded, and they both walked back home.

The rest of that day was pretty uneventful. Neither Mao nor Minako had said a word to each other. That night, as Ritsu was falling asleep, one of his arms started to phase in and out.

~~~

The following day, while Ritsu was waiting for Mao to come home. He had been pretty much house-sitting. Playing with his stuffed kitty-bat plush, he recounts all the fun memories he's had with Mao yesterday and the day before.

"I'm in love...with Maa~kun." Ritsu said out loud, to himself. However, Minako happened to hear that bit. "What did you just say?" She asked.

Turning around, Ritsu came face to face with Minako. She wore a scowl that could scare even little children away. He repeated. "I'm in love with Maa~kun." Minako clenched and unclenched her fists before she took one of her hands and slapped Ritsu with her palm.

The sound reverberated around the living room. Ritsu put a hand on his cheek and widened his eyes in surprise. The only thing he could voice out was a tiny, "Why?"

Minako seethed. "I knew this was going to be bad. I knew it! How could you fall in love with my brother. How could you?! You're just going to end up hurting him." Tears were falling from her eyes.

Afraid he did something wrong to her, he tried to wipe her tears. Minako slapped his hand away. "Have you forgotten? How many times do I need to remind the both of you! You're not real! You're fictional, a video game character! You'll end up leaving this world and you'll leave my brother behind." She bawled.

Ritsu stared with wide eyes. He had started to think that he was real after having felt so much emotions. In a span of a day, he had completely forgotten he wasn't a real person. Feeling the sting on his cheek, and the pain that was swirling around in his heart, he couldn't stop the tears from forming at the corner of his eyes.

Dropping the plushie, he made a beeline for the front door. As he was exiting, Mao had finally come back, and with movie tickets in his hand. But before Mao could say anything, he saw something that broke his heart. Running past him was Ritsu, his bangs shadowing his eyes. The only thing you could see, were streaks of tears running down his face. Before Mao could grab ahold of him, he was already gone.

Looking back at his sister, Mao took a step into the house. He asked, "What did you say to him?" Minako turned her head away and refused to say anything. He put his hands on her shoulders and he pressed on. "I'm asking you, what did you do to him? What did you say?"

Minako pouted and grunted. "I only said the truth. He's hurting you, Onii-chan. He's not real, how many times do I have to say that?!" She started to sniffle. "I just don't want to see you hurt."

Mao clenched his fists, and closed his eyes. Thinking back to the pictures they took yesterday, spotting the one image where Ritsu was looking at him with loving eyes, he finally understood. He turned tail and started to head out the door. "Where are you going?" Minako questioned. He smiled gently, looking at his sister. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to find him and bring him back."

Minako stared at her brother, not believing the nonsense he is spewing. That was when she realized, "Onii-chan, are you in love with him?" Mao had his hand on the doorknob. He turns his head slightly towards his sister, and said, "Yeah, I am." He then rushed out, looking for the boy that he's fallen in love with.

~~~

Ritsu had somewhat gotten lost while running aimlessly. He had tried to remember sceneries and buildings that Mao had mentioned to him before. As he was coming to a conclusion that he was definitely lost, the park that he had been to with Mao once came into view. He leaned up against a tree, and tried to calm himself down. Tear stains gracing his face, he looked up at the sky. As he tried to reach out for it, he saw his hand start to dematerialize, and then materialize back.

Pulling his hand back down, he looked at it with wide eyes. Shaking his head, he kept repeating, "No...no...no..." Crouching down, he covered his face with his hands. The realization was setting in. He wasn't real.

"Ritsu?" Mao's voice called out. Spotting Ritsu behind the tree, surprisingly, he knelt down. The red-head put a gentle hand on top of Ritsu's head and he spoke, ever so softly. "Ricchan..." He caressed the soft raven-hair before he placed a chaste kiss on top.

Trying to pull Ritsu out of his depressed state, Mao reached for the other boy's chin to lift his head up. Seeing the tear-stricken face broke his heart. "Ricchan, you're very real to me. No matter what anyone says." Ritsu shook his head, and put his face back down. Mao, this time, grabbed both sides of Ritsu's face and held it up. He kissed the forehead in front of him.

Ritsu was shocked. He looked up at Mao, "Eh? Why..." Without saying a word, the red-head managed to pull Ritsu to his feet, and brought him into a hug. "Because you're worth it. The clothes that I bought, the pictures we took, the plush doll that I managed to get...they're all worth it because it was for you." Mao caressed Ritsu's cheek with his palm. The red mark from being slapped by Minako was still there, but the pain was subsiding. "Maa~kun..."

Ritsu reached up a hand to cup over Mao's. He smiled at Mao before he felt himself feel lightheaded. Vision blurring, he suddenly felt his body go limp. "Ritsu! Ritsu!" Mao yelled out, cradling the raven-haired boy in his arms. It was then Mao had noticed Ritsu's arm disappearing, but then reappearing. It continued to do so, and this caused alarm for Mao. He gathered Ritsu up in his arms, and made a mad dash towards Natsume's place.

~~~

Taking Ritsu back to Natsume, Mao waits patiently while Natsume diagnoses Ritsu. After what seemed like hours, but was only about an hour, Natsume appeared from the other room. Standing up, Mao looked at Natsume with pleading eyes.

Natsume grabbed a cup of tea before saying his findings. Walking back towards Mao, he sat in front of him. "I'm not sure if you want me to give you the good news or the bad news first." He reverted back to normal speech, as this was a very delicate topic.

Emerald eyes looked on with worry. "Please, just tell it to me straight. Am I...going to lose him?"

Natsume frowned, and sighed. "Unfortunately, it seems that his body has reached its limit. His body will cease to exist, sooner rather than later." Natsume looked dead straight into Mao's eyes. "I highly advise that you make the most of what little time that you two have left together. You should also prepare for what is to come." Natsume placed a hand on Mao's shoulder. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help.

Mao stood up. "I need some time to think. When he wakes up, let him know that I'll be at the park." Natsume nodded in acknowledgement.

Natsume then mumbled to himself, "Could this be a red FLAG?"

~~~

Back at the park, Mao sat down near the pond. He thinks back to all the things that he has done with Ritsu. Looking at one of the pictures they took, he realized that he's more in love than he thought. With his fingers ghosting the image, he thinks back to the time when he first found the raven-haired boy in his sister's room, butt naked. A tear landed on the picture.

"Maa~kun?" Ritsu's voice called out. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he leans up to find Ritsu looking down at him. "He told me that my body is going to end up disappearing. Minako-chan was right. I'm going to end up hurting you-..." Before he could finish, Mao had wrapped him up in a big, tight, hug.

Cradling Ritsu's head in one of his hands, he looked onwards. Mao knew that time was limited, Ritsu knew too. He kissed the side of Ritsu's temple, and just stayed like that. He didn't want to let go.

Ritsu was unsure of what to do, but he eventually reciprocated the hug and placed his arms around Mao's back. Feeling tears well up again, he asked, "So, is there anything that you want us to do?" Before I leave, he thought.

Mao thought about it for a second before he realized, he still had the movie tickets that he bought. Bringing them out of his pocket, he mentioned, "Why don't we go see that movie that I promised we could see today?"

Ritsu saw the tickets and he smiled. "I want to go!"

~~~

They walked hand in hand to the theatre. As Mao was going to hand the tickets over to the agent, a voice called out from behind them. "Sari~~!!"

Turning around, Mao sees Subaru. "Oh, hey Subaru. What are you doing here?" He was honestly not in the mood to see anyone right now.

"I'm here with Hokke and Ukki! We're going to see that new film that came out the other day. You want to join us?" Subaru asked, very happily.

Ritsu gripped Mao's hand, and then let it go. "You should go see it with them." Ritsu said, smiling. Mao whipped his head around to look at him. "Wha-...Ritsu? Why?" Mao was honestly confused. Ritsu leaned upwards, and whispered into the red-head's ear. "Your friends are real. I don't think I'll be able to sit through a whole movie."

"Sari? The movie is going to start, did you want to..." Subaru prodded on.

"Sorry, I think I'll take a rain check. It seems Ritsu isn't really feeling well. So, we're going to head home." Mao apologize, giving Ritsu's hand a faint squeeze.

"I'm sorry..." Ritsu apologizes. "It's alright, you don't have to apologize." Mao said back. They were walking in practically silence. "Hey...when you were giving me a tour, you had mentioned once that your idol academy as a really nice garden. Can we go?" Ritsu asked.

Mao saw the look in Ritsu's eyes. He knew why he had wanted to go there. Closing his eyes momentarily, he then nodded. "Alright, let's go."

~~~

At the academy, it was silent. Since it was an off day, there were no students in sight. Not even the student council was there.  
The gardens were on the rooftop of one of the buildings. Ritsu walked through it, looking at every single flower that he could spot. When he went to touch one of the flowers, his hand phased out. Widening his eyes, he willed his hand to phase back in. Reaching for the flower again, he managed to touch it.

"Ritsu..." Mao called. Turning around, Ritsu smiled at him. "Look at them, they're all beautiful." Mao smiled back. Walking towards the bright-eyed boy, Mao could feel his nerves kicking in. Reaching out, he grabbed one of Ritsu's hands and brought him close.

"Maa~kun?"

Taking a small white box out of his pocket, Mao opened the lid. Inside, was a ring with a tiny pink rhinestone in the middle of it. He looked up at the boy in front of him, and he smiled. "Ricchan, this is for you." Taking the ring out, and sliding it onto the boy's slender finger.

Ritsu, to say the least, was speechless. "Wha-...Maa~kun? How did...Why did...Eh?" He didn't know what to say. He felt tears leak from his eyes again.

Taking Ritsu's hand, he kissed the finger with the ring on it. "I bought it while I had bought the movie tickets. It was a stupid move, but I knew I just had to." Mao explained, voice slightly shaking.

Ritsu's whole body was trembling. His knees had started to buckle. Mao caught him before he ended up on the ground. "Maa~kun...I...I don't know what to...I..." Ritsu was at a lost for words, and he had started to sob.

Mao then hugged Ritsu tightly to him. Saying three words he's been dying to say all day long. "I love you, Ricchan." He kept holding him close. "I love you." Then emerald eyes also started to water.

Ritsu sobbed even harder. "I love you too, Maa~kun!" He confessed back. Holding onto Mao's shirt, he didn't want to let go. He cried into Mao's chest.

Mao then lifted up his chin, and he pressed his lips onto Ritsu's. Ritsu was surprised at first, but he also kissed back. The kiss was sweet, and chaste, but it also was a bit forceful at the same time.

They continued to hug each other until Ritsu felt faint. His knees really did give in, and he nearly hit the ground. Catching him before he fell completely, Mao cradled Ritsu in his arms. Then they noticed Ritsu's body starting to disappear. "No, No..." Mao cried out. He kissed Ritsu one more time. Something he just now discovered, Ritsu's lips were soft, and they were warm. "I love you." He says once more.

Ritsu smiled and hugged Mao to him. Getting close to Mao's ear, Ritsu whispered, "I'll always love you, Maa~kun. Thank You for everything." Then Ritsu disappeared completely, leaving behind dust particles.

The ring drops to the ground, and Mao picks it up. A single tear drops, then another, and another. He kisses the ring, and says "I'll always love you, Ritsu. Always."

~~~

-A week later-

Minako is going through her old dating sim games, as she sorts out what she wanted to keep, and what she should donate. She comes across the game that Ritsu originally came from. However, Ritsu didn't appear on the cover like he used to. When she popped the game into her computer, her save file for Ritsu was corrupted.

Freaking out, Minako knocks on her brother's door. They had eventually made up, but their relationship was a bit strained. "Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" Mao opens the door and see's his sister in a frantic state. "What's wrong?" She shoved the game into his face. "He's not here, he's not in the game!" She stated.

Mao's cellphone, at the time, started to vibrate. A message on popped up on the screen, that read, 'Meet me in the gardens, I'll be waiting.'

Mao immediately knew who that message was from. He dashes down the stairs, and fumbles out the door.

Arriving at the gardens, he sees a person standing near one of the trees. Out of breath, he slowly walked towards the figure. As he came closer, he sees the back of a raven-haired boy.

Smiling, Mao yells out, "Hey! Do you want to have your happy ending with me?"

Turning around, red-eyes met green ones. "Maa~kun!" Ritsu runs to Mao and the red-head twirls him around. Mao kisses Ritsu and says, "I love you." Over and over again. Then he asks, "Is this the happy ending you wished for?"

Ritsu responded, "It wasn't exactly how I expected it to be, but I like how it ended." He smiled, and they kiss again.

~~~

Watching from afar, a chuckle could be heard. "It seems he indeed got his happy ENDING." Looking at the dating sim cover, he smiles and closes his eyes. "Perhaps...miracles do EXIST." Looking towards the sky, he says, "Right, SHISHO."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! This idea came to me when the bestie and I were talking about AIs. Feel free to leave a comment!


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